Crossword Genius

ERG on the rise coming in too soon for tea (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earl grey

'for tea' is the definition.
(Earl Grey is a type of tea)

'erg on the rise coming in too soon' is the wordplay.
'on the rise' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (in a down clue, letters go up).
'coming in' is an insertion indicator.
'too soon' becomes 'early' (earlier than required).
'erg' back-to-front is 'gre'.
'gre' going inside 'early' is 'EARL GREY'.

(Other definitions for earl grey that I've seen before include "Red cell deficiency" , "Variety of tea flavoured with bergamot" , "Kind of China tea" , "Drunk leaves" , "brew" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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